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Failure as a long-term asset in success

Failure: the one thing that we all fear. It is the root of our hesitation whenever we
want to try something new. It is what deters us in the middle of a venture and
keeps us in the blues. No one wants to fail. As inexperienced girls in the 21st
century, we face many adversities and triumphs, both morally and career-wise
but failure seems like the enemy; the blow to our success and the demon we HAVE
TO avoid at all necessary costs. But what if we have a wrong way of perceiving
failure? What if failure is the angel and not the demon? What if failure is our
friend and not our enemy?

But why does failure seem so terrible to
begin with? Why does it burn us to the core and rip our hearts apart? The
answer lies in expectations, both from us and our society.

But why does failure seem so terrible to
begin with? Why does it burn us to the core and rip our hearts apart? The
answer lies in expectations, both from us and our society.

The biggest cause of our hatred of failure is
our own expectations. When we embark on
a new journey, we tend to have high expectations of the ultimate outcomes; we
tend to be too optimistic about the outcomes and blind to the hurdles that may
occur. And when things don’t go as planned, it hits hard on our self-esteem and
our emotions. Perhaps if we expected failure and anticipated hurdles, then we
wouldn’t be as disappointed. This is not about being a pessimist; it is about
being realistic of our journey.

Our hatred of failure can also stem from the
expectations placed on us by our loved ones i.e. society, family, friends.
Although we may want to seem as independent as possible; we, as humans, are not
built to feel and live independently. A lot of our perceptions and life
experiences are the results of the encounters we have with our loved ones.
Therefore, whatever journey and task we embark on, we always are dependent on
the opinions and perceptions of our loved ones and failure results in negative
responses from them. It results in their disappointments which may take a toll
on our emotions and willingness to continue with the journey.

These are the reasons behind our so called
fear of failure. But it does not have to be this way. By learning how to deal
with these fears through reshaping our whole philosophy of failure, failure can
become our friend and not our enemy.

Understand that failure is a long- term asset
to your success. An asset can be defined as something that
you own. We can liken failure to an asset because its occurrence shapes you in
a way that positions you for success. This perception of failure may seem new
but it
starts with you. If you choose to start perceiving failure in this way,
it will ultimately become it and that will serve you well in the long-term. Failure
is not an indefinite ending to your journey but rather manageable hurdles that
can be overcome provided that you make the effort. And this experience
(failure) can prove to be so extraordinary that it can serve as an asset to
your long-term journey towards success.

But how exactly is failure a long-term asset
to your success?

Failure is a learning experience. There is no better tutor that your own
mistakes. Your mistakes are the best reference point because they reflect
your actions and the consequences. From this, you can tell where you went wrong
and what variables to adjust to learn from your failure. For instance, when a
company fails, the best thing the founder can do is analyse and rethink their
entire strategy and then adjust it based on the product’s failure. Same applies
to us as individual ladies; in the face of failure, we analyzed and rethink.
This can be easier said than done. But forcing ourselves to do so will highly
improve our choices after our failure and thus this failure can serve as a
long-term asset towards our success.

What does not kill you makes you stronger.
This may seem like another cliché statement however its validity still holds,
both theoretically and practically. We are all aware of the emotional and
psychological toll of failure. By surviving this event, we become not only
experienced but also emotionally and psychologically stronger in the face of
future adversities. Think of getting up after failure a result than an option. Failure can be a long-term asset to your
success if refuse defeat. It is your choice and no one else’s.

Aunt Sadaka is here for you

About Aunt Sadaka

Aunt Sadaka is a trained counselor with over 10 years experience in councelling
and coaching young girls in various issues. She is here to share with you her advice and experience. Ask her any question you may have, she will answer you and she assures you of confidentiality.